Rebellion
by PsychopathofSanity
Summary: “Cappy,” Spot complained after hauling me out of the 723rd pool, “next time you fall into one of these, I’m leavin’ you there.” AU, het, somewhat OOC
1. Characters

Characters

Characters

_**Male:**_

**Cowboy **–

**Mouth **–

**Race **–

**Blink **–

**Mush **–

**Dutchy **–

**Specs **–

**Gallant (Les)**–

**Spot **–

**Boots **–

**Bumlets **–

**Skittery **–

**Swifty **–

**Snitch** –

**Itey** –

**Pie-eater** –

--

_**Female:**_

**Dove **–

**Seer **–

**Mask **– the assassin

**Cappie **– the scout

**Tempo **–

**Act **–

**Earthen **– the realist

**Mediator **–

**Langue **–

**Rabbit **–

**Rusty** –

**Heart** –

**Feral** –


	2. Prologue

"The sands of time cannot be stopped

**Hiya peeps! I'm back! So, this is my latest stupid idea for a fic. It's a little different, as you'll soon see. First of all, it's set in a different world. Think of it as being a time travel fic . . . except that they're already there. Yeah. Imagine the world as your typical fantasy scenario – pretty much like ours before any significant technology came out, but with magic and stuff. The second thing that might mess you up if you're not paying attention is that each of the chapters in the body of the story is told from a different person's POV, and no one's POV is repeated. So, if you want to know how long this fic'll be, look at the character list. **_**In theory**_** I'm writing a chappie for each of them. That's twenty-eight for those of you who don't like to count, plus prologue and epilogue. Oh yeah, and if you're wondering why nobody has a job description next to their name except Mask, it's because Mask already has her chapter up. The others will have theirs filled in when I do their chappie. I think that that's about it. Wow, that is a **_**massive**_** author note. Well, at least for me. Congrats if you read it all!**

**Disclaimer: Last night I snuck into Disney and stol- ((cough)) **_**rescued**_** all the newsies from the horrible damp dark storage shed they were being kept in. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone! ((police cars screech to a stop outside house, while SWAT team beats down doors, leading in an army of lawyers)) Rats! Foiled again! But **_**someday**_** those boys will be mine!**

"_The sands of time cannot be stopped. Years pass whether we will them or not . . . but we can remember. What has been lost may yet live on in memories. That which you will hear is imperfect and fragmented, yet treasure it, for without you it does not exist. I give you now a memory that has been forgotten, hidden in the dreamy haze that lies behind us . . ."_

_--Christopher Paolini, __**Eragon**_

The old man sat next to the fireplace with children clustered all around him. He smiled sadly to himself as he watched a few of them playing a game with a very battered set of wooden dice that had clearly seen better days. They reminded him of so many things. Unbidden and thoroughly unwelcome he felt a tear form in his eye. He shook his head forcefully, rubbing the offending moisture out and inadvertently bringing himself to the attention of a small boy who had been unoccupied. The youngster promptly scrambled into his lap demanding, "Story! Story!"

When the elder began to make it clear that he didn't want to tell a story, and indeed he would much rather sit and nap by the fire, the boy began to stir up the children around him, working them into a feverish chant: "STORY! STORY!"

At last the man held up his gnarled hands and muttered, "All right! All right! You can stop with that infernal noise, at least.

"Now," he said, looking wryly at the suddenly silent solemn faces that surrounded him, "tonight I think I will tell you a story you have not yet heard. It is a true story, and indeed, it happened not too long ago.

"It was on a night very much like this one seven and seventy years ago that a desperate group of slaves broke out of their place of captivity. There were twenty-eight of them, but they had divided into four groups of seven each in order to help evade capture. And yes," he added hastily to a small boy trying furiously to work out the sums on his fingers, "that comes out evenly. Now, these people were very young, teenagers mostly. They were called _laepes_ by those who enslaved them. It is not wise to call these former masters by their true Name, even now; for as all of you youngsters know, Names have power. I shall call them the Fea; that is as good a name as any. They were not especially cruel, as masters go, but the yoke of slavery was still strong enough to make the slaves, or _laepes_ as we must call them, yearn for freedom.

"And then one day, something happened. A terrible thing, caused by the cruel, cold arrogance of the Fea. It drove the _laepes_ to the end of their patience and convinced all who did not already believe that they must escape. And so, with the help of one who was cunning with tools, one was strong of body and one who was sharp of mind, the _laepes_ broke out of their enclosure, which they called the Pen. It is here that our story truly begins . . .

_They were running." _


	3. Mask

They were running

Mask

_They were running._

_The fugitives had given up any pretense at secrecy, simply racing along as fast as they could. They were wet and covered in filth, their faces set grimly as they forced their bodies to the limit. They weren't sure what the consequences of their actions would be if they were caught; the most pleasant of those they could imagine was death. But what they had done had never been accomplished before._

_They were slowing._

_The power of terror is potent, but even its added strength only carried the escapees on for so long. They had been tired from the start, and now they were nearing the end of their endurance; one of the girls in particular was falling behind, knowing that the others could not afford to help her if she couldn't keep up._

_They were screaming._

_The thing pursuing them had caught up. It seized the girl who hadn't been able to run as fast as the others and bit down on her with a dreadful crunching. She cried out in anguish as the world around her went black; her last conscious impression of the earth she had inhabited so briefly was agonizing pain._

My eyes snapped open in the damnedly humid dark of the Outside. I grabbed my beloved dirk in the gloom, half drawing it as a light mountain breeze drove away the last cloying wisps of the nightmare.

Breathing heavily, I laid curled in my tangled bedroll and listened. Around me I could hear the comforting soft murmur of the others in their sleep. Further away, on the ledge, a slight sound among the rocks betrayed the presence of Rabbit, who was standing sentry duty.

I relaxed after a moment. It had only been a dream after all. I was alive – I had made it – I had not been crushed by the _thing_ that had chased us on that night six months ago. Even awake, just thinking about it for a second time frightened me as little else could. I saw the looming shadow again, felt the horrid breath just before the terrible jaws closed -

_No._ I said to myself. No. _You are alive. It's _Feral_ who's dead, Feral who was killed when the thing caught up. Feral who we had to leave behind, her shrieks still sounding in our ears as we tried to make it across the stream before the thing_ _caught us too. Feral_ _who – who allowed us to escape by dying._

I realized suddenly that I was crying, exhausted tired tears that ran down my face like so much rain after a drought. A few feet away Race shifted uneasily in his sleep, seeming to feel my distress even through slumber. Finally sheathing my dirk, I reached over and awkwardly tried to sooth him without waking him up. He quieted after a moment and I turned away, sitting up under my blanket with my hands clasped around my knees, shaking.

It was the third time that week that I had had that dream, and I didn't like it. The same dream that many times any that close together had the stench of _Their_ work. And if They could find my mind well enough to send me dreams, then it was only a matter of time before They found my body too. And if that happened we were all lost.

I rolled out of my bedroll, pulling on my boots and sticking my dirk in my belt. I needed to go for a walk. Rabbit let me go by without comment; I had been doing this more and more often lately. As I made my way down the narrow path that lead out of the camp and into the forest that covered that part of the mountain, I suddenly realized something: I recognized the stink from the dreams. It wasn't just one of Them; it was one that I _knew_.

"_Saeron_."

The name of my former master spoken aloud made the skin above my wrist sting. There was a tattoo there, on top where I couldn't hide it. If I tired to cover it with clothes or jewelry or even dirt, it would burn like haelfire until it was visible again. All of us _laepes_ had tattoos. There was a number identifying the _laepe_ on top and the name of their master just underneath. The tattoos weren't just a way of distinguishing slaves though – a spell was woven into the mark, letting the master know where his slaves were at all times.

My hands clenched involuntarily at my sides. There was one flaw in the locating spell – it was weak. Its range only extended a few miles.

If the tattoo was smarting, that meant that _he _was near.

And – so far – I was the only one who knew it.

Dung.

Fortunately, although he probably knew where I was, he had no way of knowing that _I_ knew _he_ was close. Good. Absently I fingered the hilt of my dirk. It was a beautiful weapon – the hilt was solid iron, bound in black leather and with a black pommel stone. It had a blade made of smoked steel, thin as death and narrowing to a lethal point at the end. The crowing feature was the layer of silver that ran along its center. Mush had made it for me shortly after we escaped, and I had loved it immediately. It had saved my life several times since then. Still, it wasn't really the most practical weapon I could have; it didn't have the reach of, say, a sword. In fair fight against anyone with any skill I would probably be outmatched.

Of course, I didn't mean to get into a fair fight.

Thanking all the gods that Cappy had taught me how to walk quietly in the woods, I began making my way over in the direction that stank the strongest of my master. I was no longer the frightened slave that I had been, six moon cycles ago. Now I would face my fears – and fight. I had several weapons other than my much-loved dirk on me, and I had a feeling that I would end up using them all. Before I went though, I had to warn the camp.

There were two people back at the camp whose true Names I knew: Race's and Cappy's, my betrothed's and my sister's. Between them I probably had the strongest link with Cappy, since the bonds tying her to me were twofold, of blood and of sisterly love. Reaching out for her with my mind, I called her Name: _Elisabeth! Elisabeth!_

After a few moments Cappy answered, sounding worried: _Maery, what is it?_

I briefly explained what I had discovered and then ended the link, going on satisfied that at the least the camp wouldn't be taken by surprise.

It wasn't long before I found signs that several large creatures had passed nearby very recently – probably within the last half turn. The full moon showed clearly where large paws had churned up the ground up on the riverbank where I was now walking. Sniffing the air, I recognized the putrid scent of malkins, huge grey cats formed of shadow and darkness and fear – and controlled by magic. They destroyed everything that moved, occasionally even their creator. Unfortunately, by the look of the tracks these were firmly under the control of my master. I guessed from the prints they left behind that there were at least four of them, possibly as many as six or seven. I cursed my master under my breath; he was taking no chances. I had counted on him being arrogant enough to come alone; it would have been fairly easy to kill him then, for there are ways around the locating spell bound to my tattoo. But like all cats, malkins have amazing hearing. They would tear me apart before I got anywhere near him.

I would need a diversion, but first I needed to take care of the spell. My master surely knew I was near, but likely he hadn't bothered to find out _how_ near. I would need the element of surprise in any plan I came up with. Besides, one of the unpleasant side effects of the magic in the tattoo was that my master could cause me excruciating pain if he so wished, and any distractions once I started fighting would likely prove fatal.

I clambered down the bank and slid into the river, savoring the icy coolness of the water, which contrasted with the sticky heat of the night air. Strictly speaking, all that I really needed to wet in order to disable the spell was my wrist, but being completely wet not only felt wonderful, it was safer: water nullifies all but the strongest magic. Running water is best, but any water will do. Now I was effectively invisible to Saeron, and until I started to dry off I would be all but invulnerable to his magic. That still left the problem of the malkins though. Being wet would make it _harder_ to deal with them, if anything.

I sat in the shallows of the river, out of the current. Everything but my head was immersed, hiding me not just from magic but also from most of the creatures that inhabited the surrounding area. I was imperceptible. It was a nice feeling. Sliding down further so only my nose and eyes were above the water, I plotted. It was clear that I would need outside assistance for my diversion. And I knew just who could help me there.

Reaching out for the second time that night, I called Cappy. She answered immediately, giving me the feeling that she had been waiting for me to contact her. I told her that I needed something to distract several huge cats for about five to ten marks, and I needed it soon. Then I described the part of the forest that I was in and waited. It was less than half a mark before she answered.

_I can give you ten marks. Good?_

_Great. How soon?_

_How long will it take you to get to him from where you are?_

_I'd say . . . ten marks, by the feel of it._

_Alright. I'll start it in fifteen, just in case. Take care of yourself, okay?_

_Always. Tell Race I'll be back soon._

_Of course. Luck to you. _

Almost exactly fifteen marks later I was perched in a tree, still dripping slightly. About forty feet below me and a few hundred paces away was my master. Seven malkins surrounded him as he made his way confidently towards the camp.

I curled my lip at his arrogance and cowardice as I climbed to the ground. Fortunately none of the malkins heard me. I felt the whispery feeling of Cappy reaching for my mind and opened the link.

_Maery, where are you?_

_Under the big oak at the edge of the glade._

Excellent_. Ready?_

_Absolutely._

_Alright. Here it comes . . . _

A massive flash lit the other side of the clearing, clearly outlining several running figures. I ground my teeth as I recognized both Race and Cappy, along with a few others from the camp. If anything happened to either of them I would never forgive myself. Or more importantly, Cappy.

But the spectacle had the desired effect. My master saw my fleeing friends and immediately sent his demon cats after them. Cappy had said the diversion would last ten marks; I could only hope that she was right. I dashed across the open field, my eyes on my master.

That's when the malkin got me.

I had been stupid, and I knew it. Of course he would never leave himself without some sort of protection. The malkin jumped me, and I went down. I didn't even manage to get my dirk out. I was just trying to stay alive as long as possible, and it _played_ with me, like a cat with a mouse. I let out a scream as the malkin swiped its claws across my back. I was consigning my soul to the gods when there were two meaty thuds and the malkin went limp as a fur rug. Cappy reached for me, sounding smug:

_How's that for a tricky shot? _In the dark_, no less._

I laughed a little to myself, the relieved kind of laugh that people laugh when they should've died thirty ticks ago and they know it and they're glad that they're not dead. It gives you a kind of adrenaline rush. I also made a mental note to thank Spot if I got out of this mess alive. My little sister's boyfriend was a wonder, there's no doubt.

But the job still wasn't over. Not ten paces away my master stood surveying me sardonically. And thanks to the malkin I was pretty sure that my left arm was broken, and I could barely stay conscious what with the pain from my poor clawed back. At least the thing hadn't broken my spine.

"Well." Saeron said. "If it isn't one of my little runaways. You were called . . . Mask, wasn't it?"

He knew my name, of course. He knew everyone's name, and what we looked like and all of our habits and who our friends were . . . he knew everything. Worse, as our master he knew our true Names. I knew that he was baiting me, that he was going to kill me in a mark or two. So I delayed.

"Master!" I said, bowing clumsily to the ground and exaggerating my injuries. "Where have you been? I was kidnapped by the others, and only just managed to escape from the dogs when I felt your presence. I was trying to reach you, that I might assist you in capturing them and giving them their just punishment." I bent my head, hoping that he wouldn't notice that I now had my dirk in my right hand.

He looked me over skeptically. "You know, I'm not sure that you're telling me the truth . . . _Maery._"

If he was playing his trump card already, I knew that I didn't have much longer left. I was effectively at his mercy . . or so he thought. I looked up, allowing my panic to show in my eyes.

"But master, why would I lie to you? I know of the things you can do to me! I would never dare to risk your wrath!"

"I'm sure."

He had walked over just in front of me. I could see his booted feet in front me. He used one of them to force me to look at his face. I avoided his eyes in true slave manner.

"Tell me, _Maery_, why have you not come to me before? I find it a bit . . . extraordinary that the very night I turn up is the one that you escape. Are you sure that you don't want to change your story? I think that things will perhaps go better with you if I feel you are telling the truth."

I met his eyes suddenly so he could see the hate burning in them. "Do you really want to know the truth, _master_? Well here it is. You are an arrogant, cruel, lying, scheming bastard who isn't worth the salt you put on your food. And no matter what you do to me, a poor _weak_ girl, you will die tonight." I spat in his face.

Then, before he had time to even wipe the spittle from himself, I stabbed him. The silver on my dirk, the solid embodiment of water, poisoned his wicked magical soul. I stabbed him six times – one for each of us in the group that Feral had been a part of. And then I stabbed him straight through the heart for Feral herself.

After that, I collapsed. I remember hoping just before I lost consciousness that Specs was somewhere close. I would definitely need him to fix me up.

You may be thinking that it's a little bit odd for a teenage girl to be going around killing people. I mean, I do have an unfortunate talent for it, but I had only done it _intentionally_ once before. But that night is what really sealed my place in the Rebellion.

See, I'm the assassin.

**Wow, you made it though! Good job. Now, it would be loverly if you would leave me a little review. Reviews make me smile inside! And it doesn't have to be long at all! Here, I'll write it for you, and you can paste it into the review box. It's painless, and it makes me feel so much more appreciated!**

**Your review:**

**Hey, that was the best fan fiction I've ever read on this site, or anywhere else for that matter! You're definitely the greatest author in the world. I now dedicate my life to you to do as you wish with, because anyone who writes as well as you do must be a wonderful person. In fact, I hearby swear to help you take over the world! YAY! Oh yeah, and PLEASE UPDATE SOON!**

**See? Isn't that a great review? Of course, if you don't like it, you could always write your own . . . I'll send you cyber cookies!**


	4. Earthen

Earthen

**A/N: Ummm . . . hi! Sooooo . . . it's been a while then, hasn't it? Yeeah . . .**

**Okay, so actually I was going to can this story, but then . . . I read it. And I decided that it did have a little bit of potential, so I rewrote the entire plotline and edited the prologue and the first chapter; there shouldn't be any typos in them anymore. The only real change I made to the story that you have so far is that Mask did get kind of torn up fighting the malkin (I mean seriously, who comes out of a fight with a giant cat in one piece?). But yeah . . . I really am sorry about the million year wait between the last chapter and this one. I'm hoping that it won't happen again; I've already written the chapter that comes after this one, and it'll be up next week. I promise that I'll try to keep up with this story after this!**

**The only other thing that I really wanted to say was that this really isn't a Newsies fanfic anymore; it's much more of an original story. That was the other really big reason I considered taking it down; I was thinking about putting it up in a slightly different form on , but then I looked at the reviews, and I decided that if I was going to continue with this, it might as well be here. I'm hoping that y'all will forgive me enough to read this and leave more loverly reviews . . .**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to any of the male newsies who were kidnapped for this fic; all of the female characters and other characters that you don't know belong to me. Except Cappy. She belongs to herself.**

The camp felt like a kicked anthill. Just minutes ago Cappy had woken everyone, saying that Saeron had found us. Apparently the scum wasn't far from the camp. The plan seemed to be to distract him so that Mask could take him down.

_Yeah, right. Good luck with that, Mask_. _Thanks for losing the group yet another fighter._

I really hated to sound so pessimistic, but honestly, people could at least try to be realistic. There was just no way that a lone combatant could take down an adult Fea, even a someone as good as Mask.

I supposed that Race and Cappy would be a little upset for a while, but hey, that's life. And anyway, Mask would finally be with her friends – the old terrible trio finally reunited. Tigress would be disappointed that Mask hadn't lasted longer, but then Tigress was the first to go; she would have no room to talk. Not that ever stopped her while she was alive, of course. If only she had learned . . . but no, that was unrealistic. And besides, without her death we probably would never have left the Pen.

Sad, but all in all it really was the best.

Skittery ran by carrying a load of Bang powder. Don't ask—Rusty invented it, but she let Gallant name it. Honestly, some people . . .

I followed Skittery, grabbing some Bang for myself. Apparently this was the distraction that Mask had asked for. Swifty and Race were about to leave, following Cappy to where the battle would be. Spot, Bumlets and Blink were also going for insurance, and Specs was going to follow with his kit in case anyone was hurt. Spot was having a fit because someone moved his silver-tipped arrows, and normal ones don't hurt Fea. Well, not much. The iron does do a bit of damage, but only enough to make them angry. Spot ended up having to leave without the Fea killers though.

While the boys disappeared into the forest, we sat waiting. Itey and Act (who had been forbidden to go) kept open Links with Bumlets and Blink. If things went wrong out there, we would have to fight next.

We waited.

And waited.

For what felt like a small eternity, we waited.

But finally Itey and Act relayed terse but relieved messages from the site: Mask actually had managed to kill Saeron; she even survived it. The bastard had had malkins with him, but they had all been taken care of. They had done it. We were in no danger anymore.

Mask had been hurt by a malkin, but Specs was looking after her and said she would be all right.

They were coming back.

We gathered in the clearing in the middle of camp. Mask had been settled down to rest; it turned out that she had broken her left arm and cracked several ribs, as well as getting her back ripped to shreds. It would be quite a while before she recovered. Pity.

Everyone sat in a rough circle around the clearing. A fire danced in the middle, providing warmth but making it impossible to see the people across the circle. Couples and siblings sat together, still shaken by the near disaster. I took my place next to Mush as Cowboy stood up to open the meeting.

"Everyone, I know you're still upset by what happened, but we need to talk about what we're gonna do next. If Saeron could find us, it won't be long until the other Fea are breathin' down our necks too. We was lucky tonight because the bastard came by hisself, but we can't count on gettin' lucky again. Now, I know that some of you," he glanced at Spot, "ain't too happy about the way I've been leadin' this group, so I'm gonna sit down now. It's up to you guys what we do."

Mouth stood up almost before Jack had finished sitting. He started to talk in that horrible annoying way of his. "Tonight's attack just goes to prove what I've being saying all along: we're too close to civilization. Saeron probably found us by taking a long walk while he was staying in the town. We're doing exactly what they expect us to do, what they _want_ us to do. We're still acting like _laepes_. We have to move our camp, move it somewhere remote. We won't be safe until we're far, far away from here. If we don't move, they'll find us. And when they do, we'll die." He looked around the circle. "All of us."

Muttering broke out as Mouth sat down, and I saw Spot shaking his head. He stood up next.

"Look," he said, "what Mouth's sayin' is all well an' good, but what makes you think that they won't find us even if we _do _move? There's no point in runnin' away again. If they can find us here, they can find us anywhere. It'll take _guts_," here he shot a derogatory glance at Mouth, " and hard work, but we can make this happen. We'll build defenses; make this place into a real fort. Sure they'll send a few things after us, but we can handle 'em. We've already beaten one Fea; we can stand up to whatever they send at us."

Stupid cocky little ass. But there were murmurs of agreement running through the group. By all the gods, even _I _hadn't thought that people were _that_ stupid. Well, you learn new things every day. At any rate, someone needed to bring the idiots back to reality. Standing up, I began to speak directly to Cappy's stupid beau.

"So Spot, tell me, how do you think the Fea are gonna deal with having organized rebels less than ten miles outside one of their cities? Cause that's how they'll see us, you know." There was silence as Spot gifted me with one of his infamous glares. Hmph. Try thinking before you open your fat mouth next time, Spottie boy. I turned to face the others as I continued.

"What do you think they'll do when they find out that a group of escaped _laepes_ has killed one of them? Because it won't be long before they do find out. You know that. They may know even now.

"They won't rest until they find us. They'll kill us all." People looked uncomfortable at the echoing of what Mouth had said.

"If we don't leave this area _now_ we won't stand a chance. They'll find us without hardly liftin' a finger, and when they do find us they'll come down on us _hard._ Think about it. If word of what we've done got out to the rest of the _laepes_, it might inspire more rebellions. They have to make an example out of us if they want to keep the rest of their slaves quiet. If we want to live, we have to find a better camp, somewhere safe. We have to go, move as far as we can. We don't know anything about the world except the Fea, but even they can't control everything. Maybe there are other lands out there, other people that we can settle with. Maybe we can even come back someday, free more _laepes_. But for now, we have to go. And we need to do it by tomorrow." I had gotten softer by the end of my speech. My words took a moment to soak in. But when they did, everyone started talking at once. Mediator stood up to face me.

"Earthen, I agree that we have to go, but there's no way we can be ready to leave by tomorrow. There's just too much to do, and we're all tired as it is. You more than anyone should realize that this is unrealistic – you're normally the practical one, not a dreamer or a asker of miracles!"

I regarded her calmly from across the circle. "We are in danger every tick we stay here." I pointed out. "We have to leave tomorrow if we want to have any chance of getting away alive." I moved to address the group again as I continued, "We'll have to travel light; we'll be moving fast. Anything we can't take with us, we'll destroy. We must leave no trace of our presence." I look down at Mush and said gently, "I'm sorry, but we'll have to leave to anvil."

"No!" he cried in horror. "We can carry it, me an' Rusty! We'll take turns, like we did comin' here! You have no idea how important that is, how hard we had to work to get it! And besides, we can't destroy the anvil; it would take too long!"

"You're right, Mush, we can't destroy it." I said. "We're going to have to bury it."

"But I told you, Rusty and me will carry it! We can do it, can't we Rusty?"

He turned desperately to her, but before she could answer I said quietly, "Mush. We have to travel light. _We can't take it with us._ It'll only slow us down."

Mush, always sentimental, looked at me with tears in his eyes. I forced myself to look away from him and back to the others.

"We have to start getting ready _now._ Dove and Mouth will help decide what we need to take with us. We must be ready by dawn. If you need incentive, think of Tigress. Think of Feral. If we don't hurry, all of us will be just as dead as them."

The group looked instinctively to Jack, who would be the real deciding factor. He had more or less listened in silence until then. But now he stood up and dusted off his pants, simply saying, "Earthen's right. Let's get moving."

A few hours later I stood looking over the cleft that had been our home for nearly six cycles of the moon. Cappy and Itey had gone over it, checking to see that everything that could be done to hide the remains of our camp had been done. Looking at it now I would never believe that nearly thirty people had ever stayed there.

I turned back to the group. Rusty and Specs had worked to rig a litter for Mask. She had protested that she was perfectly capable of walking, but Specs wanted her to rest for a few days anyway. Everyone was wearing packs, even Gallant and Seer. The gods only knew how someone had convinced Seer to carry such a heavy and cumbersome thing.

Cappy and Spot were at the head of the party, preparing to go ahead and scout for danger. Itey was going to follow us with Snitch, hiding our tracks. Everyone was tired, but tense and alert. We were leaving the cleft we had come to know as home and setting off into the gods only knew what. But still I looked over the procession, which was just starting to move, with pride. Without me we would still be in the camp, waiting for death even while we blithely believed ourselves safe.

If I weren't the realist of the group, and one who wasn't afraid of upsetting people, we would all be lost.

**A/N: Well, that's it for now. Like I said, next chapter up in a week, and I'm working on the fourth chapter, so hopefully it'll be up in time. I'm still not quite sure about this story, so if you want me to continue it you really will have to review. I'm not trying to threaten or anything, and the next chapter will definitely go up, and probably the one after it, but after that I can't really promise anything. It's my senior year in school, and I'm really busy, and this is not an easy story to write, what with the almost thirty different viewpoints. I still have a lot to do in the middle of the story, although I know how it's going to end, and I'm just not very good at getting my thoughts down and figuring out how to get to the end. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one's Cappie's, and it's my fav — it was loads of fun to write. So stay tuned for the next episode!**

—**Psychopath of Sanity**


	5. Cappie

We had been traveling for three months

**A/N: Well, here it is: the third chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters you recognize from the movie. I do own all miscellaneous others, with the exception of Cappie (thank God). Cappie says hi and if you don't review this chapter she'll kill you. In all friendliness, of course.**

We had been traveling for three months. Three long, stinking months. Well, not stinking, exactly; I mean, we all bathed on a fairly regular basis to help keep the Fea off our trail. But the "quest," as Gallant insisted on calling it, had not been much fun. Although there was the time when me and Race and Bumlets tied Spot up and dunked him in a river because he was being so stupid. And then there was that other time when me and Spot ambushed Rabbit with Bang. Dutchy got really mad about that. You wouldn't think to look at him that he was so fast – or persistent. We had to run for nearly two miles before he gave up and put his skinning knife away. Oh, and then there was also the time when I talked Rusty into making edible cement. Mouth couldn't talk for a week! There may have been a few other _minor_ incidents like that that slip my mind at the moment, but they weren't important.

Other that those things the trip was completely uneventful. Booooooooring. And if Race, Mask, Gallant and Spot are the only ones speaking to me right now, well, that's certainly not _my_ fault.

Well, not much.

We averaged about fourteen miles a day at first, but after Mask got better and could walk and everyone got used to daily death marches we got faster; we had to have been getting at least fourteen miles and half a pace a day. Mask is just really helpful and inspiring like that.

Anyway, after climbing over every mountain that Earthen could find, we finally found this great little valley. Well, actually _I_ found this great little valley. Race pushed me into it. (He _claims_ it was accidental, but knowing Race . . .)

It was amazing. From where we were, at least, you couldn't see the valley until you were right on top of it . . . or falling down a killer slope into it, anyway. It would be all but impossible for others to find unless they already knew where it was.

Earthen the Grump reluctantly agreed that the absolutely fabulous valley might be acceptable, and we moved in. Well, sort of. Everyone camped out at one end of the valley, and Spot and Race and me went out to explore it and make absolutely sure that it was all right.

It was beautiful. There were two streams, a few ponds and several small waterfalls, making it an ideal refuge from the Fea. And also very wet.

"Cappy," Spot complained after hauling me out of the 723rd pool, "next time you fall into one of these, I'm leavin' you there."

I grinned happily up at him. "Ah now, Spot, I'm just showing you where not to step."

Race the idiot then chimed in to our delightful little conversation, the git: "Yeah, Cappy, no way it could be that you're just clumsy."

"Maybe I would be less clumsy if your feet didn't keep mysteriously getting entangled in mine." I answered. "You'll notice that I don't seem to come back soaked when I go scouting on my own."

Spot rolled his eyes at this gloriously witty banter. I continued blithely on. "I don't know what my sister sees in you, Race, I really don't. A _gentleman_ would throw his shirt across this puddle rather than let a lady of my stature get wet."

"Stature? _Stature_?!" Race snorted. "Even Spot an' me are taller than you! Come to think of it, even _Gallant's_ taller than you, and he's ten! Anyway," he looked me over, "I don't think that getting your feet wet would really make much of a difference at this point."

I barely even registered the second half of his comment, so busy was I fuming over the first. "Now Race, you wouldn't be implying that I'm . . . I'm _vertically challenged_, would you?"

"I dunno, did Spot bring any strong rope?" the infuriating little bugger replied. I growled.

"Oh no," Race groaned, "I'd forgotten that you had such a _short_ temper."

That was it.

I tackled Race, pummeling every bit of him that I could reach. Gently. Ish. Well, not as hard I could have, at least. And the stupid little jerk started laughing! Well, I could solve _that_, at least. I got up, and while It was helpless with laughter I rolled It into yet another stream. I swear, the place was filthy with them. It made a very satisfying splash as It fell into the water. My chivalrous champion Spot rolled his eyes again as he came up to stand beside me, waiting for It to resurface.

There was no sign of It in the water. After almost a mark we actually started to get worried. Spot was just starting to take off his tunic to go after the evil short one when It came up. Of _course_ It couldn't have waited thirty more ticks. I mean come on, it's only so often that I get to see Spot without a shirt.

Anyway, It was so excited when he came up that he could hardly talk. He wouldn't answer any questions, just kept saying that we had to come see for ourselves. Spot gave me one of his Looks, but he took his shirt off (yes! okay Race, I forgive you) and lowered himself into the water, then reached up to help me in. Being completely soaked already, I saw no reason to remove any of my clothes. Not that I would have anyway. At least not with Race there . . .

Once we were in the water we could see what the evil monkey had been talking about. I have to say, it didn't look like much. I raised a sodden eyebrow.

"A _hole_, Rat Butt?"

"This is not just any hole, Lady Capsize." he said, choosing to ignore his new name for the moment. "This is the answer to all our housing problems."

"A hole. That's in the _water_."

"No," Race the purple monkey said, "a _home_."

He paused dramatically, apparently waiting for Spot and me to applaud. When we just looked at him blankly, he rolled his eyes (people who spend too much time around me tend to do that a lot) and muttered, "No sense of drama, you people. Follow me."

We dove under the water into a largish hole. There was a surprisingly large hollow behind it. After a few seconds we came to the surface, and then . . .

"So whaddaya think of this, huh?"

For once I didn't answer back. I was too busy being amazed. The shrimp had actually done something useful.

We were in a huge natural cavern, lit dimly with some kind of luminescent moss. Water flowed down in several places, and a steep slope lead down from the lip of the pool that we were floating in to the floor. If the pool hadn't been so deep, or the water had been higher, we would have been at the top of a waterfall. Well, by then, the bottom. But still, it was not a pleasant thought.

The place was almost perfect. There was only one problem that I could see . . .

"Um, Race . . ." I said after a moment. "If the only way to get in here is through the water, I don't think the others will like it very much. And we'd need a way to let smoke out when we build fires."

The stupid monkey smirked. "Don't you know _anything_, Capsize?" I'm betting that a cave this size has to have other openings somewhere. Come on, let's explore."

We climbed down from the pool. Spot warned us about getting lost, so we decided to tear up Race's shirt and put a strip of it next to each new opening that we went through. We chose a passage from off of the big cave that lead sharply up.

Three hours later we were lost.

It was Race's fault. Once we ran out of his shirt we used Spot's, and then Spot and I wanted to turn around, but noooo, Race was _sure_ that we would find an exit just around the next bend, then the next, and the next . . . and then we were lost. Stupid little git.

We wandered around for hours. Race was sure we'd find our way out at any minute, and he wouldn't let me contact Mask in case she got worried. To make matters worse, the luminescent moss disappeared after a while as we went further and further into the caves. By that time I was starving. We hadn't brought any food, thinking we'd be back at the camp in time for the evening meal, and even though we couldn't tell what time it was outside it felt like we'd been in there for days. Then Race found water, the first useful thing he'd done since we went into the caves. We all drank as much as we could and then started to follow it, hoping that it would eventually lead us out. As it turned out, Race was the one who found the exit.

We were walking along next to the stream, following it by sound, when the stupid one took a step without testing it. It just so happened the stream turned just in front of him and went through a hole. Race disappeared through it with a girly scream, and me and Spot froze, not sure what had happened to him. I myself was thinking about how mad Mask would be if we came back without Race. It would be my fault, I knew it. I was going to be in so much trouble . . .

Then Race's head came back up through the water, sputtering and causing me to thank the gods that I wasn't going to be disembowelled by Mask in the near future. The top of his chin just barely topped the water, and he groped around blindly until he grabbed my ankle and pulled me under.

That was it. Mask's boyfriend or not, Race was going down. The force of the water pushed me down on top of the slimy little toadstool as I went for his throat. Unfortunately I was forced to stop strangling him when Spot, who had heard me scream as I was yanked in, landed on top of us. At that point I realized that we weren't under water — an incredibly intelligent observation, I know — and that I could see a little bit. I struggled out from under Spot, who was obligingly starting to strangle Race where I had left off. We weren't out in the open, but there was faint light coming in from a series of holes in the far wall. I walked towards it, ignoring the struggle behind me, and stepped out of the cave into a starlit forest. Immediately after I came out I heard Mask's voice in my head, sounding frantic.

_Elisabeth! Elisabeth! Where are you? Answer me, gods damn it!_

_Maery, calm down_ I said, reaching back through the link. _What's wrong?_

_Elisabeth? Where in the seven hells have you been, girl? I've been half out of my mind with worry! Why haven't you answered me? I've been calling you for hours! It's nearly the midnight watch! No one knew where you were, you said you'd be back by dinner, you're such an idiot, what do you think I'd have done if you had died, Race wasn't answering either, couldn't find you, didn't know if you were dead or captured, where have you _been_?_

_Your bloody stupid boyfriend got us lost. I didn't hear you until just now, and I linked back immediately._

_Didn't hear me? You idiot, how on earth did you find a place that you couldn't hear mind links?_

_I told you, it was _Race's_ fault. Why don't you yell at him?_

_Because I still can't get through to him! _Tell me where you are_!_

_I don't know exactly where we are. We just got out of a system of caves —_

_You went exploring in caves? Without telling anyone?..._

And with that she was off on another rant about how stupid, irresponsible, reckless and unthinking I was. By all the gods, where was Race? I knew she was just yelling because she had been worried, but that didn't mean I had to like it. Besides, Race deserved yelling at more than me.

With impeccable timing, Race stumbled out of the cave just then, massaging his throat, and immediately Mask's voice in my head switched off. It was clear from the chagrin on Race's face that he too had heard Mask immediately and made the link back. It was rather amusing to see his face as Mask chewed him out for our hours long silence. It almost began to make up for all the stuff he'd put us through today.

Spot came up behind me as I watched the show and put his hands on my shoulders, leaning down to speak in my ear.

"Caps, I think we should stay here for tonight. We don't know where we are, and stumblin' around in the dark ain't gonna help. This is a good place —sheltered, easily defensible, even with hare-brained over there to take care of. There's water too, and I can set snares so we'll have breakfast in the morning. We can find the others tomorrow."

"All right." I replied absently. "Just let me watch Race getting yelled at for a few more minutes and I'll start getting fire wood."

Spot squeezed my shoulders and moved off, presumably to set his traps. Suddenly Mask's voice was back in my head.

_Elisabeth, Antony says that he doesn't know where you are. Do you?_

_No. Spot wants to stay here for the night, and I agree with him. We're in a good place, and we can find you a lot faster and easier once it's light out._

_Right. Of course; that's a good plan. But you'd best start back to our camp as soon as you get up._

_Of course, sister mine._

_And Elisabeth . . . I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was just so worried . . . _

_It's okay. I understand._

_I love you, sis. More than you know._

_I love you too._

We made a fire and went to bed. At dawn I woke up. At first I thought it was just the light, but then I felt again the feather light touch of metal against my neck. My eyes snapped open, and I found myself looking up at a tall girl who was holding a knife to my throat. She stared down at me impassively. Shifting my eyes as much as I could without moving my body I saw that Spot and Race were similarly captured. Spot was awake too, but Race snored on, oblivious to the world. Idiot.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! We knew better than to go to sleep without setting a watch, but did we? Noooooo. No, _no one_ would be around here. We were perfectly safe. Animals? Faugh! We laugh in the face of anything they could do to us! I sighed quietly through my nose. Just our luck. The one time we didn't keep watch we get jumped. I reached out to try and make a link with Mask and maybe get some help, but I couldn't hear anything. Then I remembered — we couldn't make mind links in the cave.

Well, being in danger wasn't that unusual. I risked it every day, going ahead of the group to check for dangers. But this wasn't the way I wanted to go, lying in bed and unable to do anything. Damn it all, why did I have to be the scout?

A/N: OK, I'm pretty much tired of saying this, but if I don't get reviews for this, I'll have to stop. I don't really want to, but this is a very hard story to write, and I just don't have the time or the energy to work on something that no one likes. So please review.


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